Unlike the first two Katy Trails, K.T. Burger is an order-at-the-counter place. It’s one of the few casual eateries in Highland Park Village, which is stocked with high-end stores such as Chanel, Escada and Christian Louboutin. There wasn’t a place to grab a quick, inexpensive bite with kids in tow, says co-owner Buddy Cramer, who was born and raised in the Highland Park area.

Cramer’s crew re-designed the space with reclaimed wood planks and retro signs on the walls. He exposed original pink brick from the building, which opened in 1931. He also added new entrance and exit doors to K.T. Burger, which is helpful for those who remember the oddly-shaped space that made entering former restaurants Village Kitchen, Toko V and Village Marquee seem strange.

K.T. Burger is a burgers-and-beer place that happens to have some very fancy neighbors.

As diners walk in, they can grab sugar cane sodas such as Fanta and Dr Pepper.
Kye R. Lee/Staff Photographer

Part of the burger joint wraps into the Village Theatre, the movie theater that anchors Highland Park Village. Cramer and his team built a soda shop bar adjoining the two spaces, where kids and adults can post up on black spinning stools and order shakes. They can also take their ice cream into the theater.